artist's statement by Vanessa miraples

I Am a Librarian

“I Am a Librarian,” draws inspiration from a Molson Canadian beer commercial that aired in the late 1990s. This commercial used stereotypes attributed to Canadians in order to address, correct, and educate the international community about Canadian culture, and Canadians in general. Not only does this commercial educate its viewers, but it also aims to inspire a sense of national pride.

The dataset for the librarian theme articulates many of the stereotypes that are often attributed to librarians. Moreover, the individuals who contributed to the dataset also illustrated librarians completing similar tasks, such as shelving books, assisting users, sitting at a reference desk, or working on a computer. These depictions coincide with the types of stereotypical images that Radford and Radford, and Katherine Adams analyze and explore in their respective articles. In the article “Librarians and Party Girls” authors Radford and Radford explore how rigid the librarian stereotype is, while also suggesting ways the stereotype might be challenged (Radford and Radford 2003, 67). In Katherine Adams’ essay “Loveless Frump as Hip and Sexy Party Girl,” she advocates for the reclamation of the stereotype through mimicry and parody (Adams 2000, 298).

From my own understanding of the stereotypes, I believe that it can be challenged by a more teaching oriented approach. During the Deborah Hicks guest lecture, we discussed the division between a librarian’s identity and image, identity meaning how the librarians perceive themselves, and image meaning how they are perceived by society. The video I prepared attempts to bring identity and image closer together by suggesting that relying solely on the image (or stereotypical image) of a librarian detracts from what they really do and who they really are. By allowing those outside of the librarian community the opportunity to learn about the many roles librarians occupy both within a public community setting and in other institutions, I think that society would be more willing and able to look beyond the stereotype.